Platinums and Post-its were a potent combination at the PR News Platinum PR Awards Luncheon held Friday, Sept. 14 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

Some 300 communications professionals gathered to honor the top people, agencies and campaigns in PR. This year's event featured 40+ categories (a record), plus nine Hall of Fame inductees (go to our Web site for a full list of winners and honorable mentions).

The event got off to a rather sticky start, with PR pros placing a total of 373 Post-Its on comedian Mark Malkoff's body, breaking a RecordSetter world mark. Malkoff is best known for visiting and consuming a beverage at all 172 Manhattan Starbucks stores within 24 hours.

The awards portion got off to a winning start for Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company, which won back-to-back Community Relations and Crisis Management honors for their work after a tornado struck Springfield, Mass.

Charles Duhigg, best-selling author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, delivered the keynote address at the luncheon. Duhigg, a business reporter for The New York Times, spoke of Starbucks' efforts to train its employees to get into the habit of good customer service--using science-based tactics that PR professionals should take to heart.

The event culminated in the Agencies of the Year awards--with ties in all three categories. Henson Consulting and InkHouse Media + Marketing picked up Small Firm honors. "Twelve years ago I left Edelman to be a consultant and had my first child," said Kathleen Henson of Henson Consulting. "Now we have five great kids and 16 amazing employees at Henson. We're grateful to be recognized for our work."

In the Midsize Firm category, Makovsky + Company and Cone Communications tied for the award. When asked what time he would go back to, Ken Makovsky said, "I would go back to Day 1, knowing what a fantastic journey it's been to grow this agency."

In the Large Firm category, Ogilvy PR and Weber Shandwick took top honors. "I'm proud of our 2,700 employees around the world, and of our collaborative culture," said Andy Polansky, president of Weber Shandwick.
PR News congratulates the winners and honorable mentions. For extended stories on the winners, go to prnewsonline.com/platinumpr2012.
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About Scott Van Camp

Scott Van Camp is editor of PR News, an executive-level, reader-supported publication that helps enhance the business impact of PR. Scott has a rich background in both journalism and PR/marketing. He has more than 15 years of experience as a writer/editor at various consumer and trade publications. Scott was with VNU Business Publications for five years, including stints as managing editor at IQ News and Technology Marketing magazines and senior editor at Brandweek. In the PR/marketing sphere, he has served as corporate communications manager at MarketBridge, a marketing and sales consultancy, and as editorial director for the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council. While at the Council, Scott led several high-profile marketing research projects. He has also operated his own communications and media consulting firm, SVC Communications.

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